@Zifnab: Don’t know. Caught a bit of some morning show today (can’t remember which one) where one of the pundits was saying that CEOs have a visceral hatred for Obama. Then sort of as an aside, said he didn’t really understand why. Sorry I can’t remember who it was, but it caught my attention because usually TV talking heads are not as straightforward.

It makes me sick to think I used to actually watch that show. Just the first couple seasons before it turned into celebrity apprentice and Trump turned into an even bigger dick than I already knew he was.

I saw one wingnut claim that Obama “outsourced” Chrysler to Fiat — a curious definition of “outsourced” that would cover the extended period under George W. Bush when Chrysler was owned by Daimler, though perhaps not the period just before Chrysler’s bankruptcy when it was owned by a private equity firm.

Saw that earlier while looking to see if Trump actually released another video press release (He did, but I can’t punish myself by watching.), an when I saw that response I laughed but didn’t know it was from someone at Chrysler. That just makes it more awesome. Glad the network have kept away from him so far today, but I wouldn’t mind seeing someone cover this response!

As an aside, Obama held a rally in Wisconsin essentially on the tarmac. AF1 lands in full view of the crowd, and taxis up near said screaming crowd. Obama, after being introduced over the PA system like it’s a prize fight, bounds down the stairs wearing his POTUS leather bomber jacket. He gives his speech with AF1 as the backdrop. The whole thing felt like one big Presidential FU to Mitt Romney.

@priscianusjr: That’s an excellent description. I wish NBC would cut him loose. He’s an embarrassment.

I read somewhere awhile ago that The Apprentice has a surprisingly large number of African American viewers. I think I read that after Trump started on the birther crap and people wondered if it might affect ratings.

“Everyone in the car industry knows that Ralph Gilles is a total joke! I have a dozen people who called me up to tell me that. I heard he only got the job because of affirmative action.”

Because The Donald is an instant expert on anyone who dares puncture the bag puffed up by Trump’s bilious bile and such people always turn out to be total jokes who are only envious of Trump’s success.

He is President and CEO of the SRT Brand just not Chrysler. Hes a Veep at Chrysler. Not a bad looking dude. I was going to maybe the Obama folks could use him as a surrogate but he’s black and they’ll put him through all kinds of racial crap he didn’t ask for.

Caught a bit of some morning show today (can’t remember which one) where one of the pundits was saying that CEOs have a visceral hatred for Obama. Then sort of as an aside, said he didn’t really understand why.

Honestly, I really think that’s one of the situations where it boils down to the fact that they just don’t like a black man being the boss of them. There’s really no other way to explain it coming from that group, IMO.

@lamh35: Jeezuz if ever there was a justification for the phrase “Yeah well, what have you done for me lately?” this is it. As we approach 11/6 the cyclone of outright, unhinged batshit crazy will easily rival Sandra. All to the tune of the wingnut Wurlitzer wailing out Thunder and Blazes. I’m still in the camp that peak wingnut can only be approached – never achieved, but damn it gets awful scary.

Caught a bit of some morning show today (can’t remember which one) where one of the pundits was saying that CEOs have a visceral hatred for Obama. Then sort of as an aside, said he didn’t really understand why. Honestly, I really think that’s one of the situations where it boils down to the fact that they just don’t like a black man being the boss of them. There’s really no other way to explain it coming from that group, IMO.

I agree totally. The SP500 is up about 75% since Obama took over. Wall Street has done extremely well during his tenure and he has fixed the freefall our economy was suffering before he took over.

There is NO reason for CEO’s to whine. Yet they are. I can’t see any other reason for their whining other than pure racism.

Jeeps are branded explicitly as “American”. Chrysler has put, over the decades, hundreds of millions of dollars into that brand identity. Romney is effectively running an anti-Jeep advertising blitz while also running a political advertising blitz against Obama.

Not exactly surprising that Chrysler would react strongly to it. It’s an attack upon the core identity of one of their best-known brands. I don’t know how Romney or Trump thought they would react otherwise.

@Paul:
I’ll opine it includes a serious helping of sense of entitlement coupled with indignation at not being treated with “due deference” (which also dovetails with the other thing, but would also be directed at, say, a president Hillary).

Chrysler has been the perennial Sick Puppy of the US auto industry for decades, now: Daimler-Benz was supposed to be the Great Foreign Savior, and they bailed after pouring sh*-tons of money down the drain: their “private equity” owners who picked up the pieces would have probably done a Bain and sold the whole thing to China, if Chrysler didn’t have so much DoD business (the lifeline that’s saved them time and again since Lee Iacocca’s day). Fiat, at least, seem to have gotten the place turned somewhat around; but I’m guessing they will still be just one recession away from joining Studebaker and Rambler in the Ustabee Garage…

That said, Donald Trump truly is full of sh*t: good on Mr. Gilles for pointing it out….

@Paul: I actually don’t think it’s racism exactly — I think it’s more something like, “Hey, dude, I liked the idea of you being president, but then you started picking on millionaires and billionaires without painstakingly acknowledging every time that there are some decent ones, like me, for instance. So, fuck you, Obama, I’d rather have someone in power who doesn’t make me feel bad about myself.”

It’s sort of like the Amanda Marcotte “NiceGuy” thing, where certain types of guys are sure that they are so sensitive and good to women that they really should have women all over them as a reward for their goodness — but they end up being consumed with rage about how actual women don’t like them as much as they should, so all their efforts to be sensitive and cool have been a waste, because chicks suck.

Fiat, at least, seem to have gotten the place turned somewhat around; but I’m guessing they will still be just one recession away from joining Studebaker and Rambler in the Ustabee Garage…

Honestly, I think Fiat’s management may be better than having domestic people in charge when it comes to honing down the marques and running with an explicitly American aesthetic. Chrysler’s problem was trying to chase GM/Ford, when what it needs to do is sell Jeeps and Ram trucks and muscle cars… and the Town & Country.

Chrysler has been the perennial Sick Puppy of the US auto industry for decades, now: Daimler-Benz was supposed to be the Great Foreign Savior, and they bailed after pouring sh*-tons of money down the drain: their “private equity” owners who picked up the pieces would have probably done a Bain and sold the whole thing to China, if Chrysler didn’t have so much DoD business (the lifeline that’s saved them time and again since Lee Iacocca’s day).

actually, back in the mid 80’s, Iacocca paid of the loan guarantees early….by the mid’90’s, chrysler was the most sucessful and profitable of the domestic manufacturers, it was swimming in cash. Iacocca’s ego f’ed the company, because he felt threatened by Lutz, who he should have appointed to replace him. instead, he picked bob eaton, a douchepickle who was snowballed by Daimler. After the “merger of equals” Daimler raped and pillaged chrysler for all it’s cash and knowledge in lean manufacturing, forced it to go el-cheapo on interior details so they wouldn’t make Benz cars look bad, and then dumped it. Cerberus was trying to sell it to the Chinese, but I’ll give them a little bit of credit. they recognized what a flaming dumpster fire daimler left their product line up in and at least tried to do something about it. a lot of the product improvements that came out in 2009-2011 were started under the cerberus regime.

and one last item that really tweaks me is the notion that the 300 is just a reskinned previous gen E class….the car was very far under development in 1998 when the merger happened. chassis wise, it has more in common with the previous gen LH cars. in fact, it’s introduction was delayed almost 2 years because daimler forced them to use the E-class steering column, which forced a complete redesign of the dash, cowl and some of the front suspension. the increase in volume for the steering column, while it didn’t make the 300,magnum, or charger appreciably cheaper (actually added cost), it did reduce the per unit cost on the E class significantly….granted, they did get the NAG1 tranny and rear differential from MB, but those weren’t exactly necessary, the 545RFE used in the trucks (a home grown chrysler design) has been very reliable, and would have been a more than adequate substitution, as well as dana sourced (probably either a dana 35 or dana 44) differential.

My wife used to work for the company that tallies the votes for the Emmy awards, and that got us in as “seat fillers” (you make sure the seats in the first 20 or so rows are full when the camera shows the audience). Trump and date were sitting in front of us, and he reached past me to shake hands with Antonio Banderas, who was sitting behind us with Melanie Griffith. He just missed my head with his hand.

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